T.P. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Hello. I am a recent condo owner. I purchased a condo in August of last year. Upon getting things set up in the Condo, I would notice unusual bugs. After a while, I thought that this was too unusual. I have never lived anywhere and encountered the bugs that I saw. I also began to see centipedes. How very unusual in places on the carpet!!! I spoke with my neighbor across from me who also coincidently has the same issue. Upon both of are troubles, we have a damp like moisture smell and see creepy unusual bugs in our condo. We both believe it is from the crawlspace below us. I inform the association last week. She explains to me today; that she had it inspected and found nothing wrong with the crawlspace. She informs me the inspection was done about a week ago. I explain to her that I had my home improvement guy take a look at it this past Saturday; and he inform me that it is wet down in the crawlspace and that a pipe circulating from my laundry room connected to my furnace is dripping water. He also explains to me that bugs are down there. Upon all of this, that explains the earwigs, centipedes and even worms I have encountered in my condo. The condo advisor informed me that she will send the guy back down there to inspect but from this point, I do not believe I am going to get the results I am looking for. It is clear to me that the person the condo advisor sent is either not doing his job efficiently or I hate to say it: A Untrue full Person. My neighbor and I want them to fix the problem. Unfortunately, my neighbor has been dealing with this some years and never got anyone at the time to handle the problem. I am afraid that the condo advisor may come back with the same response: NOTHING IS WRONG. What step can I take to resolve this problem? Unfortunately, I am not authorized to get it fixed myself because it is in a crawlspace. I contacted a few contractors who needed authorization from the condo advisor and the problem with that; they just want to use their own people which are not trustworthy to me. Please help.
Mister Condo replies:
T.P., I am sorry for you and your neighbor’s problems. Infestation of any kind are dangerous, disgusting, and obviously, ruin your condo living experience. I think you are on the right track to having the creepy crawler eliminated, even if the condo advisor turns out to be fully incompetent as you and your neighbor are not going to go away without getting the proper results, which is the removal of the insects and, of course, the repair of the water line that allowed for the infestation and mold problem. Keep on top of the property manager to make sure the work gets done. If it isn’t done to your satisfaction, you simply bring suit against the association. You may need an attorney to assist you but it will be well worth it to go back to enjoying your unit. Hopefully, the infestation can be easily remedied once the leaky pipe is repaired. Good luck!
This is a great example of the saying, “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words.” Have your inspector go under again, this time with a camera and at least a rough drawing of the building, and take photos and indicate where the problems are. If there’s any mold evident, that should be noted, as well as if there are any nests of creepy crawly things. Then, present the evidence to the Board and ask them to remediate. If they don’t, you already have a lot of evidence to take to an attorney.